Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs today sent a letter to Moussa Faki MAHAMAT, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, asking him to never compel AU to support the SAMIDRC deployment, because of this could exacerbate the conflict in the East of the DRC. Read the sent letter below:
The Government of Rwanda has learned about the planned virtual meeting scheduled on 4th March 2024, of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union to consider the situation in Eastern DRC (EDRC) and the deployment of the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC).
The Government of Rwanda also learned with great concern that one of the objectives of the meeting is to endorse the deployment of SAMIDRC and assess possible support that the African Union and other strategic partners could extend to SAMIDRC.
Since Rwanda is not invited to participate, we request that the following points be conveyed to the session.
Reference to the Statement by the Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission dated 21: February 2024 and my letter dated 12B February 2024 addressed to the President of the United Nations Security Council, the Government of Rwanda calls on the African Union to consider the threat to Rwanda and the wider region, of the SAMIDRC deployment.:
SAMIDRC is fighting alongside a FARDC-led coalition which includes the FDLR genocidal forces, ethnic-driven local armed groups allied to FDLR under the umbrella of Wazalendo, and Burundian armed forces under a bilateral arrangement, as well as European mercenaries and Private Military Security Companies including one associated with the former Blackwater, as reported by the United Nations Group of Experts on DRC in December 2023.
SAMIDRO as an offensive force in coalition with these elements cannot substitute for a political process that has been blocked by the Government of DRC. Therefore, the African Union is urged to not “authorize” or fund SAMIDRC.
The current crisis in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (EDRC) can be traced back 30 years ago when in July 1994 the defeated Rwandan genocidal government and forces that included the notorious Interahamwe militia fled to the then Zaire.
Instead of disarming the defeated genocidal forces, the Zairean government supported by foreign actors helped them to re-organize, and they are now known as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The FDLR genocidal militia has become a permanent threat to Rwanda and has exported genocide ideology to the DRC.
This led to the persecution and displacement of hundreds of thousands of members of the Congolese Tutsi Community who then fled to Rwanda and other countries in the region.
In.2013, the SADC-led Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) established to fight illegal armed groups in EDRC, selectively decided to fight the M23 and refused to tackle the FDLR and Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), SAMIDRO currently supports the Government of DRC’s belligerent posture, focusing on a military solution against the spinit of all regional peace initiatives, including the EAC-led Nairobi Process and the Angola-led Luanda Process.
The EAC had deployed the East African Community Regional Force (BACRF) to address the conflict in EDRC, in the framework of the Nairobi Process. This led to a ceasefire from March to September 2023, but the DRC Government accused the EACRF (except the Burundi contingent) of not carrying out an offensive mandate and unilaterally expelled it.
The Government of DRC then invited the SAMIDRC under an offensive mandate, which disregards the Nairobi and Luanda political processes, raising potential tension between the EAC and SADC regional communities.
The Government of Rwanda wishes to inform the AUC that in addition to the FDLR, whose objective is to overthrow the Government of Rwanda and finish the Genocide they started in 1994, both the Presidents of DRC and Burundi have publicly stated their intention to support regime change in Rwanda.
The Government of Rwanda takes these threats very seriously, considering past and current armed threats by the parties involved, especially those that DRC and Burundi host on their territories, and their collaboration with the FDLR and its splinter group – National Council for Renewal and Democracy/Forces for, National Liberation (CNRD/FLN) respectively.
In the current context of the prevalence of hate speech and persecution spearheaded by the Government of DRC, with the support of FDLR and Burundian Forces, the Government of Rwanda notes a risk of further escalation of the conflict in EDRC, and increased tensions in the region.
The Government of Rwanda wishes to recall that the conflict has persisted in EDRC because the international community has deliberately ignored the root causes, which include support to and preservation of Rwandan genocidal forces in EDRC, refusal of the Government of DRC to address genuine grievances of the Congolese Tutsi, and refusal to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Congolese refugees scattered in the region.
Rwanda hosts around 100,000 of these refugees, some of whom have lived in Rwanda for almost thirty years now, including more than 15,000 who have, in the last five months, fled ethnic cleansing in EDRC.
The Government of Rwanda wishes to bring to the attention of the AUC that the intention to
Any support by the African Union to SAMIDRC would also imply supporting the Government of DRC’s offensive posture and would undermine the peaceful settlement of the decades-long crisis in EDRC.
The Government of Rwanda would like to request the Chairperson of the AUC to use his good offices to encourage the Government of DRC to pursue a peaceful solution within the Nairobi and Luanda processes.
To this end, the Government of Rwanda encourages members of the Peace Security Council (PSC) to conduct a held visit to the Great Lakes Region to witness the reality on the ground and gain real insights into the ongoing conflict.
The Government of Rwanda wishes to reiterate its readiness to play its role in supporting a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the EDRC.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration. (End)